The Price We Pay
by SilverFang88
Summary: Every choice has it's own set of consequences, be they short-term or long-term. Whichever the case may be we are all forced, in some way and at some time, to pay for our actions. This is what fate does to keep us from being too complacent with our lives. It is harsh, it is cruel, and it is a lesson which neither Mugino or Touma will ever soon forget.


Greetings to all!

SilverFang88 here with something I particular enjoyed writing. Mainly it was done on the AnimeSuki forums, but since it was so well received there, I figured I'd share it with everyone on here as well. Just to give my fellow Touma/Mugino fan's out there something they can enjoy. So, with that said, know that this has nothing to do with my other work and that this one falls in actual cannon territory. Specifically, between New Testament 6 and 7; you have been informed.

On that note, I hope you all enjoy reading this little One-Shot as much as I enjoyed writing it. Shout out to **Mr. Terrorist** for submitting the challenge to me and thus giving me the drive to write this.

I own nothing

* * *

_"Guuuhh"_

_In all honesty, Touma was beginning to understand two specific facts of life that do not come naturally. Those two things being alcohol was consumed by adults for a damn good reason and beverages of that nature did not mix well with him._

_It probably did whilst he was intoxicated, but the aftereffects were something left to be desired._

_"Guuuhh"_

_Groaning, the spiky haired teen's palm met with his brow as he tried to block out the sun coming through the window. His head already felt like it was about to split in two, his legs and thighs felt like they going to fall off, and to top that he couldn't even begin to imagine what sort of events played out during the course of his drunken stupor._

_All he wanted to do was block out the light coming in through the window and bask in the comfort the mattress provide-_

_"Geh!?"_

_Comfortable mattress?_

_Kamijou didn't sleep in a place that was even remotely comfortable for him. The only comfort the bathtub had was the pillow and that was just to make it tolerable. Him being able to sleep in an actual bed would be god-sent, but that would mean that he wasn't alone in his bed._

_Did he drunkenly slip into his bed with Index? Did she not notice or had she and simply did not react to it? Or perhaps she did notice, bite him, and simply left him there passed out? It was a possibility, an unlikely one, but still within the realms of logic._

_In spite of his splitting headache, Kamijou braved the blinding light of the sun and took a moment to absorb his surroundings. Upon performing this act, however, Kamijou soon noticed key traits that only fueled his frantic mind._

_He wasn't in his dorm room; in fact he wasn't even in a dorm at all by the looks of it. Sure the room was big but based on what he could see the place was far too tidy to be a normal person's home. Way too organized, way too standard for a normal person's dwelling._

_It wasn't until he saw the key-card on the nightstand that he realized where he was._

_And promptly began to sweat._

_"L-L-Love hotel!?"_

_That explained the breeze and the odd sense of exposure he was currently feeling. He would have been mortified had he not been more concerned about why he was here in the first place. Or rather, the person who he had came here with._

_Touma knew he was with someone because he could feel their weight on the opposite side of the bed they shared._

_Like a slow-turning gear, Touma's head turned towards the other person who occupied the mattress. Scared of what he would find, or in this case who he would find laying next to him. He couldn't see her face, as her back was facing him and thus only allowing him to see the long soft-tea colored hair and the bare skin of her shoulder._

_Even if he did recognize the person based on those few traits, he was still treading with extreme caution here. Not wanting to touch her, less he rouse her in the process, Kamijou chose to instead sit up slowly and peer over her frame to gain a side-view of her face._

_Unfortunately for him, the mattress disapproved of this; groaning as if to say 'ow, stop moving around you idiot' as he performed this act. Since he was using his arms to support him, the weight caused balance established by the two of them to offset. This ended up making the girl's body tilt just enough for her to roll towards him; laying with her back against the mattress while her front was left completely exposed._

_At this point, any man worthy of calling himself one wouldn't have given a rat's ass about the person's face._

_Because what lay before him were two things which could destroy all chivalry in a male and fill his mind with nothing but pink thoughts._

_Kamijou was just amazing his nose wasn't bleeding yet. He wouldn't have been surprised to know that he was red from his brow to his neckline, but the lack of a nosebleed was indeed strange._

_Worse yet, that simple action of her rolling over was all it took to make her stir. Given how the sunlight had a negative effect on him, the star of light was most likely the one to blame for awakening the girl from her slumber. But by the time Touma realized what was going on, she had already cracked one of her eyes open and soon found himself staring face-to-face with the girl sharing the bed with him._

_"…"_

_"..."_

_Though it was the worst possible time for him to think it, he had to admit the girl had a set of very gorgeous looking eyes._

_"O-ohayou…"_

_In his mind, in his heart, and in his soul, Kamijou was screaming 'Fukou-da!' so loud it would have awakened neighbors miles away just from the echo alone._

_"Who the fuck are you?"_

* * *

Trepidation, though common, was not something Kamijou usually experienced when he wasn't in a situation that focused in day-to-day life. Usually, such a sensation only occurred when he was knee-deep in conflict or facing down some aggressor or another. He may have shown sightings of it at times, might have displayed something that was close enough to that, but it wasn't genuine.

The situation he was currently in, however, was genuine for a number of reasons.

For one, he was in a hospital for a particular reason that went beyond what he was usually here for. He wasn't injured or anything of the like, but if there was ever a moment that he wished he was it would have been now. The second reason tied into the first, as he was here for something far more stressful than recuperation; rather he was here for medical results. Thirdly, and probably the most terrifying of the three, someone else was waiting for the very same results he was here for.

That person just so happened to be a Level 5 Esper who was sitting right next to him; and to clarify it was not Biribiri this time around.

Normally, this would be the part in which he would say he would prefer it to have been Mikoto he was dealing with. But this situation didn't fall under the normal circumstances and thus he concluded that he was glad she wasn't the individual beside him at the moment. If that had been the case, then he was assured that his life would be over forever; not that it mattered considered he was already screwed at this point.

Said person was currently staring blackly down at one of the many outdated and warn magazines in the waiting area. Her gaze didn't once move to face him and for the most part she was taking the whole thing with stride. At least, she would have seemed as such if she hadn't been on the same page for over ten minutes now. Every now and again, though, she would shoot a glance over towards his person before clicking her tongue and going back to 'reading' her magazine.

Not that Touma could blame her if he was to be honest and he had the full intention of taking every bit of the blame here.

It was, after all, his rotten luck that brought about this mess.

He should have known from the moment he woke up that morning that this would have happened. Subconsciously he knew that things would have ended in a way that would lead both himself and Mugino tumbling down the hill of misfortune. Though they both swore (under the threat of death in his case) that they would never speak of the event to anyone and pretend it never happened; fate would not allow the two of them to live onward so freely. It wouldn't been until a good while later after the memory was nearly forgotten that Mugino would appear in his life again and drag him here with her.

But between Mugino and Touma, things were incredibly tense; so tense that Touma was too afraid to even allow his fingers to twitch.

"Mugino Shizuri?"

At the sound of her name being called, the girl tossed her reading material aside as she stood up; scowling at Kamijou as he followed suit shortly after. Given how short on time she was, not to mention anxious to see the results, she had already made preparations to have the doctor waiting for them so that things could be done quickly. The less time she had to spend in the presence of this no-named shit-stain of a boy the better in her eyes. While things don't usually work out in the way she had them, doctors being the one's waiting and all that, one would be surprised how far a few threats could take things.

That said, when the two young teens finally reached their location; Mugino was far from pleased when she did not find the doctor waiting for them like she had specified.

"What the fuck is this?" Snarled Mugino, having latched onto the nurse who had retrieved them as if it was posseded. "Where the hell is the doctor?"

"T-The doctor will be with you shortly. This is a hospital and there are more patents here that need-"

"I don't fucking care about some worthless snot with down's syndrome. I wanted the god-damned doctor here waiting when I got here; or didn't I make that fact fucking clear when I made this appointment?"

"P-please, he won't be long, I promise, he's just-"

"Do I really need to repeat myself, or do I need to make an example out of people who try to fuck with me?"

"Oi!" Despite his nervousness, Touma was still someone who wouldn't let something like this go on if he could help it. Thus it went without saying that Kamijou had quickly maneuvered around the girl and had his own hand clasp itself firmly around the Mugino's wrist. The pressure which was applied did the job of gartering the girl's heated attention; only to be met with an equally heated gaze fitting of someone who genuinely wasn't afraid to act if necessary. "You heard her, the doctor won't be long, so the least you can do is calm down, wait a few more minutes, and leave the lady alone."

Irksome as it was to admit, Mugino had to credit the guy for at least having a set. Most cases like these usually ended with someone coaxing her through words rather than make any physical contact with her. Then again, it took a certain level of idiocy to do what he had done just now, but the amount of pressure he was applying to her wrist told her that he wasn't playing with her. Not that she cared, she had experienced far worse than this and was still breathing just fine.

Even so, Mugino merely chose to retort with a click of her tongue before releasing the nurse and wrenching Touma's hand off her.

"He's got five minutes, if he isn't here by then, you'll be seeing me again."

By the time Kamijou's mouth had opened to reassure the woman, she had already started sprinting down the hall away from the pair. Shifting his gaze back towards Mugino, he was once again greeted with the sight of her back as she entered the room they would be waiting in. Following after her, he quickly looked for the closest chair near the door and promptly seated himself down; intent on remaining there so as to prevent her from carrying out her threat.

"Mind explaining what that was all about?" Asked the spiky haired teen, still appearing mildly upset with the minor incident.

"Tch."

"Look, I get it, you're upset about all this and-"

"Upset?" Repeated the woman, followed shortly by dry laugher that lacked any trace of amusement in it. "Oh, I'm far from upset; you ignorant sack of puss! If anything, I'm so fucking pissed off with this shit that I can't even put together the right words to describe my rage!"

"Sounds like you're doing a good enough job to me."

"What was that!?"

"N-nothing, nothing at all!"

Clicking her tongue once more, the girl in question folded merely folded her legs as she sat atop of the table in the center of the room. Though, if one looked hard enough, one could tell that there was more to her expression than just rage. It was the dominant thing and most easy to identify, but there was an underlining tone that was there. She was nervous, something that was warrented given the severity of the situation. If this test came back positive, if what she suspected to be the case was indeed true, than she was certainly not looking forward to the events that would proceed afterwards.

Understandable really; being pregnant was not an easy experience to go through.

Especially when the partner was someone she was only vaguely aware of.

Hamazura had mentioned Kamijou on a few occasions in the past, usually words of praise than anything else. Personally, she didn't see what was so praiseworthy about the guy. He didn't look like much, didn't seem like the kind of person who was worth mentioning even in passing. Then again, it was Hamazura who had informed her about the lad's existence, so it made sense to have him speaking highly of someone who probably wasn't even worth a grain of salt in comparison to many more noteworthy individuals in the city.

And to think, she not only hooked up with this piece of trash; but had even slept with him to boot.

Oh how karma liked to throw curveballs in her face.

"Tch, I can't believe this shit is happening."

"Hn?"

"Honestly, if it wasn't so fucking pathetic, I'd be laughing at how incredibly screwed up this whole thing is. The one time I cut loose to relieve some stress and I end up being knocked up by some commonplace filth."

As much as he wanted to retort to the insults being flung at him, Touma couldn't bring himself to open his mouth and voice them. He deserved this after all, this was what he get's for being irresponsible and doing something he was not even legally allowed to do yet. This is was only the down-payment in terms of treatment he deserved from her; because it was his fault and this was the repercussions of his own actions.

He had to accept that, along with a whole slew of other things if things turned out positive.

"What do you want to do if it turns up…you know?"

"Honestly, I'm tempted to have an abortion." That actually gained a rather irate reaction from Touma in his seat; having nearly shot up from his chair the instant he heard her suggest it. The thing that stopped this action from occurring was the additional comment the girl made afterwards. "But I'm not that heartless; I might be going to hell anyway but I'm not cruel enough to do something like that."

"…glad to hear it I guess."

"How do you figure that? I'll still be carrying around some piece of shit's child for nine-months before eventually squatting it out. I'm not even going to pretend to be sorry for you, since the brat's gonna be loafed over to you afterwards anyway."

"W-wait, what?"

"What did you think was gonna happen? I aint taking care of some fucking brat I didn't even want and I sure as hell aint gonna hook up with you and take care of the little shit. It was you're damn sperm, it'll be your damn kid, and your own damn problem once the shit is over and done with. What you do with the brat will be you're problem then, fuck if I care what you decide to do with it."

"You-you can't be serious here, can you? I was, no, I will take responsibility for all this but you can't have the child and just pretend it doesn't exist. Wouldn't you at least want to see them once or something?"

"What part of 'I give no fucks' is giving you trouble here, dipshit?"

"The baby would want to know who its mother is at some point! You can't just completely disregard it like that; it's a part of you too."

"A part that I didn't even remotely ask for, asshole!"

"I didn't ask for any of this either you know! This Kamijou already has enough problems taking care of the all-consuming freeloader in his dorm!"

"You weren't complaining when you were getting a piece of ass though, were you?"

"I wasn't-" After a few moments of stalled silence, Kamijou bowed his head in defeat as his body slumped down in his chair. All he could do was palm his face as a long, drawn out, sigh escaped from his lips; the stress of all this clearly visible on his features if the girl had seen him then. "I don't even remember how that happened in the first place."

Neither did Mugino, so in that respect she could admit that her comment was a bit of a low blow. Anything that had transpired that night had long since been clouded and elusive to her; all that was clear was who she woke up with and what she had to deal with as a result. Hell, she didn't even remember meeting him or even being introduced; but then again these things did tend to happen to people who barely knew each other.

Clearly karma was a significantly bigger bitch than she was; that in itself was not something to scuff at.

"Shit, if it's really going to be a problem, offer it up for adoption or drop it off at an orphanage or something. They can take care of the brat much better than we can obviously. Besides, if you do that, the little shit ain't gonna remember either of us and by that time he'll have a better set of folks than either of us can be right now. It'll be a better life, better than either of us could give it, and the little shit won't even know."

"But I'll know and so will you; which is what makes that choice all the harder in my opinion. Is it really okay to just give it up to someone else, knowing that you won't ever see them again or that they'll never know you?"

"Yes, it is easy; all you gotta do is stop being such a pussy about it and make the call. If you wanna keep the brat, that's your call; but I don't want a damn thing to do with the little snot."

"No, it's-"

Whatever retort was to be made was utterly silenced when the door to the room they were waiting in opened up. Two sets of eyes were quick to lock onto the visage of the individual who would confirm or deny the great question on both of their minds. Said individual, while under the intense gaze of both teens, offered the two a calm look in response as he stepped inside; clipboard in hand.

"Sounds like this turn of events has put you both a little on edge." Stating the obvious, the renown doctor known as Heaven Canceller was thus faced with a penetrating glare from the infamous Level 5 of the city's underworld. That much didn't surprise him, neither was he surprised to see Kamijou admiring the floor.

"Ah, well, it's to be expected given how life altering this sort of news is."

"What the hell took you so long."

"Well, given the amount of yelling that was coming through the door, I didn't want to interrupt. Making an entrance during a couple's spat doesn't tend to go well when delivering this kind of message."

"E-eh?"

Typical Touma reaction 101 and the biggest giveaway to the nonexistent relationship the two shared.

"Who the fuck would want this guy enough to carry his damn brat!?"

Outside, the wind turbines which powered Academy City had a 0.01% increase in speed as the wind picked up. This was easily dismissible, but none would know that this increase was a direct result of women simultaneously sneezing around the world in that exact same instant.

"So that is the current state of things…" Muttered the frog-faced doctor, letting out a sigh as his expression became noticeably sober than it was previously. "Well, that's going to make this much harder to say."

"Fukou-da."

"Oh for the love of-"

"Here are the results…and Mugino-san, I'm deeply sorry to be the one to tell you this."

The words which followed after would forever etch themselves into the minds of both young adults currently occupying the room. For better or for worse, neither of the two would leave that room without carrying some form of baggage on their burdened shoulders.

* * *

Regardless of what most people would often times suspect, Misaka wasn't typically someone who went out of her way to the same extent as she was currently. In most cases, i.e whenever she wasn't required to take any action, she would leave certain matters alone and go on with her day as pre-usual. That did not entail that she wasn't curious, but for the most part she did as little prying as she could.

When it concerned a certain spiky-haired high-school boy, however, that sort of mentality went away quite fast.

It was especially true if he just so happened to be in the presence of another girl.

But this time was different as opposed to the normal circumstances that involved him and members of the opposite sex. It wasn't like those times where she was un-admittedly jealous; though subconsciously she probably was even in this situation. The reason behind her actions this time actually had some grounds that warranted her to keep tabs on him. Reason being that the individual among the fairer sex was someone whom Mikoto had encountered in the past and was fully aware of how dangerous she truly was.

Mugino Shizuri, if memory served, was the name of that Level 5 who had once-upon-a-time been an obstacle in putting an end to the Level 6 Shift.

So yes, she had every reason to be concerned when she had caught sight of both her and Touma traversing out in public. She wasn't aware of the reason behind their meeting or what was bound to take place, so she had taken it upon herself to follow in the event that things turned for the worst.

Needless to say, when both teens had arrived at the hospital, Mikoto had become far less concerned about Touma's safety and more concerned as to why both of them were there together in the first place.

What made this whole issue more frustrating?

"Oi, quit pulling on my hair, it hurts you know!"

"Nya~ essentially, I'm hungry Hamazura! That family restaurant is having a dessert special and I essentially want to try each one and see which is best!"

"Didn't you visit a dentist not long ago!? Do you really wanna repeat that experience a second time so soon!?"

"I super agree with the idea of going to a restaurant though. I'm sure Hamazura doesn't mind paying for us either; do you Hamazura?"

"Stop goading her! And why do I need to cover for you anyway!? You have money; I, on the other hand, am still scraping off change just to get by here!"

Apparently, Mikoto wasn't the only person who had found the odd pair unusual and had thus opted to follow her lead in tailing after the two. Mikoto, having never met any of these individuals, was under the assumption that they were associated in some way with Touma. That thought might have changed if one particular member of ITEM had been present at the time, but Takitsubo herself was absent from the group in question; having chosen to taking a nap at the apartment the group shared.

Not that it really mattered all that much really; the group on its own was still annoying enough to deal with whey they were creating so much racket to being with.

"Shhh!" Hissed Mikoto, succeeding in gartering the group's attention and forcing three sets of eyes to shift towards her person. "Do you want them to hear us!?"

"Essentially, are we playing a game?"

"I think she's super stalking that guy there."

"Eh!?"

"Oi, Kinuhata, isn't that the uniform those super-rich girls from Tokiwadai wear?"

"Geh!"

"A super-rich girl acting like a super stalker; I didn't think I'd ever see the day that happened."

"W-w-who are you calling a stalker!?"

"Nya, essentially, what's a stalker Hamazura?"

"Well, em, they're-"

A sudden spark of electricity was all it took to silence whatever sort of response the blonde was planning to provide. He of course was still aware that the girl herself was one of the people who had accompanied Touma and Accelerator to Hawaii, so he wasn't too ignorant as to what her ability was. That said, when he turned his gaze over, he was met with the ferocious glare of the young adolescent girl who could, on all accounts, turn him into a charred heap in an instant. Her eyes were practically daring him to continue with his explanation, and should he do so then she would not hesitate in showing him why she was called Railgun.

"…something I'll explain later, Fremea."

"Wuss."

"Bite me Kinuha-aaaah! Foot, foot, get off my foot!"

Obviously, being covert was not this group's strong point. At least not now and by most standards this was probably tolerable. They had no reason to be this way and if they really wanted answers they would have just gone up and asked about it like normal people. There wasn't any reason to act like this and the only reason they were even here was for the sake of boredom. Personally, Hamazura was actually looking to speak to Kamijou on a few matters himself. One of which being the reason for him getting shot and the whole mess that happened in Hawaii. There were still a large number of things that needed to be sorted out and Kamijou seemed like the best person to talk to about them.

That and he wanted to know where he had disappeared to that night they had decided to drink.

It was a subject that had perplexed him since Kamijou had been pretty wasted at the time. Having witnessed what happened the last time he had gotten drunk, he was curious to know just how many of those girl's had jumped on him since they all seemed to flock onto him like vultures. Hamazura, like any guy, wondered how someone could possess such an overwhelming amount of WIN like Touma did and was curious to see if such a thing happened again.

Call him what you will, but Hamazura was still a normal guy like Touma. If he had scored that night then as a good friend he was (or believed himself to be) then it was only fair to be informed.

Mikoto, on the other hand, just wanted to know what the hell was going on.

"Would you guys just shut up and keep it down!"

"Mi-sa-ka-san~"

And just like that, her day went from bad to worse.

"Please, oh please, tell me that's not her."

"Is that Misaka-san I see there? It surely must be Misaka-san, as there are so few here who share the same uncivilized power as she does~"

Once more, sparks generated around Mikoto's form as she turned to face the indivudal who had spoken out. She wasn't surprised to find a rather attractive young woman in a sailor uniform staring back at her with what looked like stars in her eyes. Clear signs that the woman was under the Mental Out's control, and as it further fuel Mikoto's ire; the girl had chosen a girl who was both older and far from lacking in the chest area.

This little encounter had thankfully, in Hamazura's case, caused the rest of the group to observe as things unfolded.

"What do you want Shokuhou?"

"Me?" Asked the girl in a sugary tone laced with innocence, even going as far as to press her finger against her bottom lip to portray that image. "I was just taking a stroll when I happened to find Misaka-san with my vision ability. Why do you ask, Misaka-san? Is there something wrong with my ability to be here or are you practicing you're hiding power from the gentleman over there~?"

"Wh-wh-wh-what are you talking about!? I'm not hiding from anyone!"

"You could have fooled me, super rich girl."

"Quiet you!"

It probably could go without being said, but Misaka's face was tented in a healthy shade of red by this point. What couldn't go without being said was how Hamazura already seen both Touma and Mugino leaving the waiting area right around when the new arrival had appeared. He probably would have interjected at some point to inform the middle-school girls of this, but….well.

"Th-the-there so…huge!"

Let's just say he was distracted.

Somewhere in Academy City, a certain girl in a track suit suddenly found herself wide awake as a strong sense of apprehension filled her entire being.

But that was irrelevant for one a particular reason.

"Ugh, ahahow! What was that for?"

That reason being a firm right straight into his ribs with a minor dose of Offense Armor backing up the attack.

"No reason…"

"Ah, I see, well then, I guess if you're not hiding then you must be here for no particular reason at all. If you have no business here, then I will use the allure ability of this one and converse with the gentleman ove-"

"Oh no you don't! You said you don't have a reason to be here, but you've clearly been following him this entire time. What do you want with him and why the hell should I let you even get close to him?"

"Weren't you super doing the same thing?"

"I told you to be quiet!"

"Nya, she essentially sounds mad."

"That's because I am!"

Startled mainly be the sparks that were still flaring about, the little girl in question sank herself low enough while trying vainly to hide behind Hamazura's head. All this action did was readjust the angle in which the aforementioned teen's head was, resulting in him crying out as the small girl was unintentionally tugging on his hair to the point that it was bound to be ripped off his scalp. The reaction itself did earn Mikoto a harsh look from the girl in the knitted dress, though it was hardly necessary.

Mikoto had already realized her own folly and it showed on her face.

"S-sorry."

"Just watch it, rich girl."

"My, my, I didn't think you're vulgarity power was so high you would raise your voice at children too Misaka-san. And just when I was about to use my praising ability to commend you on becoming a bit more lady-like then I recalled."

"You're avoiding my question; stop playing games and answer me alrea-rea-"

A few seconds later, three different people of the same gender all sneezed simultaneously.

"That was super weird."

Beside her, both Hamazura and Fremea couldn't find much else to say and simply chose to nod their head in agreement.

"Well, that was embarrassing." Admitted the Mental Out, though it did serve as a means of putting everything back into perspective. To be more precise, it served to show just how Misaka's presence here had distracted her; for her prize was now nowhere present in the waiting area. "W-wha? Where did he go?"

"Eh?" Seemed that Mikoto was also put off by this statement, as she too turned back to find both Kamijou and Mugino missing from the area. "That crazy hag is missing too."

Internally, Hamazura felt a shiver run up and down his spine upon hearing someone using a term like that to describe Shizuri. He might not have known the history behind Mikoto and Shizuri, but even someone like him could conclude that the past the two shared obviously wasn't one filled with good memories. Depending on how far back these two girl's went, then it was likely that the Tokiwadai student here had crossed paths with Mugino when she really was less tame than she was now.

He was just glad the girl wasn't around to hear that insult; less the building crumble to its foundation as a result of Mikoto provoking the beast that was the Meltdowner.

"Moh, this will not do!" Much like a child, the teen under Misaki's control stomped her foot down as if being denied candy from the checkout line in a supermarket. "If only she had some telepathy power I could have easily found them by now!"

"Like I'd have let you get even too feet towards him to even if you did!"

"As much as I frown upon your presence, I would much rather have you than the #4 being so close to him."

"The feeling is not mutual; I don't trust either of you near him."

"Oi, Kinuhata, is it just me or is there a lot of tension building up here that's taking away our screen-time?"

Don't fucking break the forth wall, Hamazura!

"Hamazura, I think that is the greatest observation you've made in your super pointless existence! We're not minor characters, we have our spot in this scene, why are those two hogging it all!?"

Stop it damn it!

"If that is to be the case, then whoever finds him first will be allowed to spend an entire day with him undisturbed."

"Wh-wha-a-an entire day?"

"Ready. Set. Go~!"

"O-oi, stop running, this is a hospital you know!"

And just like that, the Queen and the Ace of Tokiwadai charged headfirst in the labyrinth of corridors that made up the hospital's interior.

"Hamazura, I super am not going letting our screen time go to waste; we're going to find them both first."

"Wha-why? I'd rather spend an entire day with Takitsubo undisturbed and off-screen than I would with Kamijou…no offense to him."

Screw it, I give up!

"Essentially, it's not about the prize, but the challenge! And if we win, it means they have to treat us to a desserts special nya~!"

"You just said it's not about the prize, but you're already deciding on one! And stop talking about those desserts specials; it's not gonna happen!"

In the end, as with all things, Hamazura was eventually outvoted two-to-one in the search for Kamijou and Mugino's whereabouts.

* * *

At its purest, most rawest, form of reflection; Mugino herself probably didn't know how she was supposed to feel about all this. Should she have been happy? Should she have been angry, saddened, mortified, or anxious? Probably, as at least one of those emotions would have cropped up at some point during the course of this doctor's appointment.

But she felt nothing, not a thing, and perhaps that in itself was more worthy of concern than if she had felt anything else.

The news that she had received had done its job at leaving her speechless. She couldn't think of much else to say, even if she did her vocal folds would not budge. Kamijou, on the other hand, could still voice his thoughts and promptly asked most of the questions she should have been asking. Not that she was paying much attention to any of it; the entire world around her was just a mass of incomprehensible noise to her.

Nothing at that point really had much of an effect on her. Her entire body felt numb and not in the sense that there was a prickling feeling of pin-needles. She just felt…empty; husk-like and devoid of anything and only possessed a vague awareness of her surroundings.

Shizuri didn't even know when she walked out of the doctor's office. Was he still explaining things when she had left? There was no telling and there was no point in concerning herself with anything which was being said. She wasn't even aware that she was outside until the cool air hit her exposed skin. How cold was it? Wasn't it supposed to rain today? Again, at this point, it didn't matter in her eyes.

Nothing mattered.

All the effort she was putting into reforming herself. Taking the time to fix everything she had broken as a result of her own rage and pride. One step at a time, she was slowly but surely working towards the path that would lead her away from the dark void of this city and towards a life greater than the one she had been living in. This house of cards, the foundation she was gradually starting to build up from, everything.

Was it all a wasted effort?

She didn't know, she couldn't have known, and it would probably be best if the answer remained elusive.

What Mugino did know at this very moment in time was that every choice she had ever made had its consequence. Everything she had done in both distant and recent past had come together full circle and was chipping away at her entire being piece-by-piece with each pass.

Had anyone seen her in this state, they probably wouldn't have known. For her expression betrayed nothing, it showed nothing that would act as an indicator as to what she currently felt. It was a defense mechanism, a mask, a gimmick that was employed entirely against her will. Bottling away the emotions, hiding them from the surface so as not to invoke the attention of people's needless prying.

It wasn't a healthy thing to do, bottling up emotions like this, but Mugino could give a fuck about how unhealthy it was.

And thus was how she remained as she mindlessly took her first steps outside; no destination set in mind and in no real hurry to reach it. She may have been content with just aimlessly and thoughtlessly wandering off into the open streets of the city.

That may have been the case had someone's hand not clasped itself on her shoulder.

"Mugino-san."

Dead eyes barely turned far enough to take in Kamijou's appearance behind her. But even if she registered his presence, she did not acknowledge his existence anymore than one acknowledges an ant on the ground. All she did was look before calmly shrugging his hand away before proceeding forward once more.

"Hey, hold on a sec, I just want to talk."

"Piss off, if you wanna talk, talk to a fucking mirror."

Even the most casual of observers could find something worthy of concern based solely Mugino's current tone of voice. It matched her expression almost flawlessly that it was downright disturbing considering how she typically was. There was no edge to her voice, no underlining emotion opposed to how she had acted prior to entering the hospital. It was just vacant of anything, which only further instilled the concern of the lad who had intercepted her just now.

Leaving her alone would have been what Mugino wanted, but Kamijou couldn't allow her to have such a luxury.

"Hear me out at the very least! As much as I'd like to pretend that none of this ever happened, I can't. Fact is, I've gotten dragged in a lot of things I wish I hadn't, but I still stuck with it all 'til the end. While this is way outside of what I usually end up dealing with-"

"And what, pray-tell, are you usually dragged into; street-fights?" Clearly she was mocking him, even with the lack of emotion one could still determine that they were being looked down upon. "Please, you don't live in the same world I do; you don't know me and you can't ever hope to. So stop pretending to give a rat's ass and go back to your normal fucking life."_  
_  
"You have no idea how badly I want to go back to my normal life." Mugino had no way of knowing, but Kamijou couldn't have been more truthful in saying that even if he tried. "But, the truth is I can't go back; no matter how much I hope or want to. That's not just exclusive to me you know. There are a lot of other people who can't go back to living a normal life that they want; you included."

If he was trying to make a point, it was not registering with Shizuri in the slightest. Even as he spoke she did not cease once in her steps; nor did she bother to give Kamijou a fleeting glance.

She just kept walking without pause.

And like a lost puppy, Touma pursued after her.

"You say I don't live in the same world you do, and you're right; I don't. It's also true that I don't know you and after everything that's happened I know it would be hard for me to do that. But I would still like to at least try to know who you are. Even if it's a little bit, even if it's only the smallest portion of the whole image, I would still want to at least try. I honestly want to know just who you are and see for myself how different our worlds really are."

Now he was just sprouting nonsense; nonsense that was bound to get him killed if he didn't keep his distance and shut his mouth.

How could someone say something like that so carelessly? Who was he to have the audacity to sprout these words when he was completely ignorant to the world beneath the surface? Mugino thrived in the Darkness longer than most people could imagine. She had been neck deep in it longer than most people did and was still alive to tell the tale. Most people barely made it up to their knees before they stepped into a hole and were drowned by that world. What right did Kamijou have to sprout these words when he knew nothing about her or the world she lived in?

He didn't know anything about how cruel this world was.

He knew nothing about its workings and how it could change people.

How it could turn a single girl into a monster that was to be used and disposed of on a whim.

"You might find this hard to believe, or you might not believe it at all, but I really have seen people like you before. Not just in Academy City, but in a lot of places you've probably never been before. They all looked exactly the same as you do now. Lost, like their entire world was gone or were so out of reach that they couldn't do anything but watch as it all crumbled to pieces in front of them."

It was here, upon hearing this statement, which caused Mugino's steps to finally come to a halt.

"Everyone I've met who had that look ended up either being my enemy or someone I needed to save. I don't want it to reach that point; I don't want to see which you will become before I act. Especially when you're standing right in front of me and I have a chance to do something about it. Because between the two options, between the two actions I can take, I'd rather be extending a helping hand rather than raising my fist at you."

At any other point in time, she might have laughed at the notion of this teen raising his fist against her.

At an earlier part of her life, had it been her old self, she probably would have cut his head off for carelessly making a statement like that.

However, at this point in time and at this stage in her life, Mugino did nothing but stare ahead of her as she fully absorbed his words.

Behind her, Kamijou maintained his silence; out of courtesy or out of patience for a response was a mystery to her. And though neither party was aware at the time, the very individual's who had been relentlessly searching for them came upon the scene for themselves. Yet no action was made to approach them, none present was so ignorant as to what was going on that they felt inclined to interrupt. The only person who was close was Fremea, but her inquiries were silenced by Hamazura and Saiai's hands covering her mouth.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Mugino spoke up with her back still facing the teen behind her.

"What do you want from me, dip-shit?" Her words, words which still lacked emotion, were only just above the level of a whisper when she spoke. "What the hell do you think you can do by just extending a helping hand? You can't fix this, you can't change anything, and you sure as hell can't help me anymore than that doctor can now. So what the flying fuck do you think you can do to help me?"

Every word spoken, every syllable uttered, was held at the same even level as the one before it. In reality, she wanted nothing more than to scream them at this ignorant fool of a person so that he may understand how worthless his efforts were. Mugino would have loved nothing more than to do such a thing, but she just could not find it in herself to do that. She was just too drained to do something like that now, her soul too tired and her body too ravished with sorrow to do that.

That time in Russia, Shizuri hadn't been lying when she said that she had given up on everything to reach that point. She truly had given up everything she was and was ever going to be just so that she could finally kill Hamazura. But it wasn't Shiage's fault, it was her and her pride which brought her to do all the things she had done. The same could be directed at Touma as well, for he was not truly at fault for everything that had happened which had led them to this point. He might have believed it was his fault; same as how Shiage did back in Russia, but neither of the two were really the ones to blame.

Shizuri was the one who was really at fault.

And as Mugino had come to realize, everything she had done has its repercussions.

The Conflict with SCHOOL.

Dark Legacy.

Body Crystal.

All of those things carried a consequence to them. She knew the price and she paid it anyway without hesitation. Having known full well that she would probably die to carry out her selfish desires, she had effectively destroyed whatever good ending she may have had in a future where she survived. It might not have been a life she would have welcomed now, but with time it may have been the ending she could have gotten and most likely been happy with when it eventually came.

But this was the fate of a monster she supposed; lord knows it's what she deserved after all the things she had done.

"Honestly…" Her words seemed to have left him for a loss, as it was clear he was struggling to find something to say in response. She would have been mildly satisfied if he had nothing to say; at least then she could continue on her way knowing that he wouldn't be able to follow. "Honestly, I can't do anything-"

"Then we're done he-"

"I can't do anything in a medical sense is what I was going to say. I'm not a doctor, I can't fix you're condition, but I've already resigned myself as being helpless on that front. What I can do, though, is be here for you."

Regardless of how much she wanted to block his voice out, the level of conviction in Touma's tone of voice could not be ignored. It wouldn't tolerate being ignored, _he_ wouldn't be ignored, and that much was becoming painstakingly clear based on how stern he was making himself to be.

"Like I wanted you here to begin with."

True, she didn't want him there at all; in fact she wished she could have had nothing to do with him from the very start.

But he was here now and like the many others that came before her, he was determined to do whatever was within his power to help her.

"Do you have anyone else that you can talk about this to? As far as I'm aware, nobody else knows what happened and we both swore to never speak of it to anyone, right? So who else are you going to talk to about this? I was there, I heard it with my own ears, and I already know it's affected you even if you pretend that it didn't."

Even if she didn't ask for it.

"Shut up."

"It hurts, doesn't it? I can't say I know how you feel, but I can at least understand that it's not something either of us can just ignore. Bottling it up won't make it go away, pretending it doesn't hurt won't do anything but make it worse."

Even if it wasn't what she wanted.

"Shut the hell up."

"Face the facts, nobody else knows about this except for me. If you really trust someone enough then by all means tell them and talk to them about it. I'll be satisfied with that so long as there is someone out there who can help you. But if you can't look me in the eye and say that someone like that exists in your life, then I have no reason to let you walk away as you are."

Even if she was to hate him for it.

"Shut up, just shut the hell up!"

"All you need to do is tell me that someone like that exists in your life, I'll walk away and out of your life forever; no questions asked. But you need to turn around, look at me, and say it or else I'm not going anywhere."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

Her world blurred around her as she had turned to face the infuriating individual who dared to pretend to understand. As reformed as she tried to be, Mugino was still a beast that would strike if something came too close. Her claws may have been dulled, but her teeth were still sharp and she was not against the idea of using them. That said, a solitary stream of energy burst out from her hand the instead she had found herself facing the lad behind her.

She did not care if she hurt or killed him.

All she wanted was for him to shut his damn mouth.

A fruitless effort really, as her infamous Meltdowner practically vanished just as quickly as it appeared. All he had done was raise his hand in the path of the attack and it was gone. Yet, even after dispelling the attack, Kamijou had moved himself forward, using the girl's shock as a means to close the distance between them.

From a distance away, everyone who was watching the spectacle assumed that Touma was going to attack. This assumption was what caused Kinuhata to stand as she prepared to move to try and intercept the guy. Oddly enough, the only thing which stopped her was Hamazura's hand on her wrist.

There was no need for Kinuhata to act.

Kamijou Touma hadn't clenched his fist.

Both his hands were left open and in one fluid motion found themselves placed on Shizuri's mid and upper back as he held her in his arms.

In that fleeting moment of action, Mugino realized her folly.

She had already proven to Touma that such a person did not exist in her life.

She of course had people that she did trust, but this was something too personal to be said to anyone of those people. She had to face the consequences for her actions and she was the one who needed to be held accountable for them. She couldn't ask for anyone else she knew to help carry that burden, nobody else she cared about deserved to have this knowledge thrust upon their shoulders.

Not Takitsubo, not Kinuhata, and most certainly not Hamazura.

"I'm sorry."

It was an odd thing for him to say considering he had done nothing wrong. Odd as it was, he said it anyway and for that Mugino was at a loss. She couldn't see his face, and all the same he couldn't see hers. Perhaps it was just the most natural thing to do when someone embraces another. But was there more to this? Was he purposely keeping her expression out of his line of sight so that he wouldn't see it? So that he couldn't see her in pain, her grief, or sadness?

Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't; the only person who would know for certain was Touma himself.

Whatever the case was, silently and begrudgingly, she was thankful for it. Thankful because as strong as she was, as proud as was, and as much as she tried to maintain that illusion of strength; her façade had cracked.

Hamazura had been the first to notice the state of the weather when a drop of rain fell right on his nose. Having glanced up, he bore witness to the mass of gray clouds looming overhead before a second and third droplet fell and nearly struck him dead in the eye. Within a few moments, more and more droplets began to fall, littering the ground with tiny wet blots along the nearly flawless concrete below him. Having seen all that he needed to, he silently gestured to Kinuhata away from the scene. Though hesitant, Saiai eventually agreed and promptly followed Shiage's lead, though neither party left without sparing at least one last glance at the pair.

And though neither of the remaining girl's wanted to, both decided that this was not the best time to confront either of the two individual's. Clearly something more was at work here, something neither had any right to get involved in. Maybe on a later date they would inquire as to what had transpired here, for now though they would leave things as they are.

Neither Touma or Mugino, however, moved an inch despite being aware of the rain.

"It's okay to cry now, the rain will hide it."

Monster's don't cry.

People cry when the weight of the world is too much for them to bear.

"Let it go, Mugino-san, there's no shame in being hurt."

Monster's don't feel pain.

People feel pain on many levels for various reasons, be it on physical or emotional standpoint.

And so the two remained; caught in that embrace out in the open and standing right in the drizzling rain without care. By this point, Mugino was aware of her actions, aware of the world around her, and thus aware that her arms had raised waste high and slowly wrapped themselves around the teen that was holding her. She allowed herself to be held by this ignorant and foolish boy who actually seemed to know what he was talking about. Allowed herself to stay within and return the embrace of someone who was doing nothing more than being someone she could confide in.

If only this once, she would allow herself to be like this, to not be Mugino Shizuri, to not be the 4th Ranked Level 5, to not be the Meltdowner, and to not be the monster she still viewed herself to be.

She would allow herself, just this once, to be a normal girl who desperately needed a shoulder to cry on.

* * *

Welcome to the bottom!

Again, I hope everyone enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. It was fun and I got to have a bit more practice with my writing style. Now, before anyone asks, this is purely a One-Shot; whether or not I expand on this idea is up in the air. Also, before anyone mentions it, yes I know it skips around in terms of tone for each setting. I'm aware, and it was intended for the sake of giving the ending a bit more impact for 'dah feelz' it would have on people reading this.

As for what happened...well, I'm sure everyone here can make that conclusion.

As usual, if there are any inquiries, thoughts, or concerns that arise in your mind, feel free to address them to me and I'll do what I can to answer them. Otherwise, I hope you enjoyed my little piece of work.

Goodbye for now.


End file.
